WATERING THE NEIGHBOUR'S GARDEN: THE GROWING - CICRED

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G. HUGO –NGUYEN THI H. X.
wan; (2) To analyze the determinants of that movement; (3) To analyze
opinions regarding that migration; (4) To analyze the process of
migration; and (5) To establish the impact of the migration on the
women involved, the families and communities of origin.
The study was focused in the six provinces in Mekong Delta region
shown in Figure 5, which are the main areas of origin of Vietnamese
marriage migrants to Taiwan. Some other provinces in the South of
Vietnam outside this region such as Tay Ninh which have a high rate
of marriage migration were not included in the study.
The study had a number of components. The centrepiece was a
questionnaire survey of 635 households with one or more daughters
who had been married to Taiwanese men. The parents or guardians of
the women were interviewed. The questionnaire contained 67 questions
both structured and open. The questions addressed household
composition, the migration process, the links maintained with the
marriage migrant and the impacts that the migration has had on the
household and on the marriage migrant herself. In addition, there were
460 short interviews with local youth aged between 13 and 25 in order
to establish their attitudes toward the marriage migration to Taiwan.
There were also a series of in-depth discussions carried out with key
groups. Some 40 were with potential brides who had found Taiwan
partners and were waiting to get married. Another 34 were with
women who had returned from Taiwan to visit their families in Vietnam.
There were eight in-depth discussions with women who had
divorced their Taiwanese husbands and returned to Vietnam. In addition,
there were 28 consultations with community leaders and local
authorities in the region. Finally 23 focus groups were held with key
groups to probe aspects of the marriage migration process, its impacts
and attitudes toward it. Almost all of the Vietnam-Taiwan marriages
are legal because without marriage certificates they cannot get a visa to
go to Taiwan. The brides in this research all are legally married to
Taiwanese men. It is apparent that there are also some marriage migrants
who have moved as undocumented migrants but they are not
included in this study.